6 tips to help you become a freelance health writer

So you think you can be a freelance health writer? Here’s the good news: you’re probably right!

Working for yourself is rewarding and challenging, and if you’re a passionate individual, who’s driven to achieve success, you’ll have no problems launching your freelance career.

As a first step on the pathway to freelance health writing success, I like to ask people the following question:

Why do you want to be a freelance health writer?

Is it because:

you’re sick of working for ‘the man’

you need a career change

you want to work at your own hours, and be flexible

you have a family and prefer to freelance

you love health and writing, and want a career that combines your two passions

If you answered yes to any of the above, then you’re in the majority of successful freelance health journalists and writers who opted for this career path.

If you want to be a freelance health writer because:

you want to make more money than you currently make in your ‘day job’

you want to do less work than you currently do in your ‘day job’

Well, we may have a problem.

Let’s get one thing straight. Going freelance is not easy.

I’m not saying it’s difficult, but it involves hard work and dedication. Often, freelancing means putting in more hours than you’ll ever get paid for – even when your business is running smoothly years after you’ve established yourself.

3. Write for free

I know. The point of becoming a freelance health writer is to get paid, right?

Unfortunately, you’re going to have to do a little leg work – either free or in kind – while you get yourself up and running. That includes your health writer blog.

If you’re starting out without a portfolio, you need to build one – fast. After all, you’re competing with seasoned freelance health journalists and writers with years of published writing under their belts.

Remember what I said at the beginning about working hard and being driven to achieve results? Writing for free is exactly what I meant.

4. Be persistent

It might take weeks, months or even a year until you have a steady stream of clients, but in those quiet early months, you need to persist, and you need to believe in yourself.

If you’re getting nowhere, continue to write for free to build your experience and portfolio.

Find ways to network with writers and get tips and advice to help your business grow. Meet with a business coach if necessary, or find a writer who will agree to mentor you from time to time.

But never, and I mean NEVER, give up.

5. Join Linkedin, and join Linkedin Groups

Linkedin is a fantastic professional networking resource. Connect with as many legitimate contacts as you can find.

Join groups on Linkedin where people advertise jobs and discuss health writing, like Freelance Writers.

Get involved in discussions, and share your blog posts and other relevant content you have found on the web, as this will help you to develop you online network – which will lead to more clients and more exposute.

6. Choose your clients wisely

The best part of writing for a niche is that you get to write about your passion. The downside? It’s more work to find clients.

As tempting as it may be to dabble in another industry, you chose to be a healthcare writer, so try and stick to health writing, because a health writer with a portfolio of non-health writing doesn’t look convincing.

Make a list of potential clients who may need your services and contact them regularly.

You could start with small businesses in your local area who may need brochure writing or website writing assistance.

Also, use your common sense: if your passion is yoga, approach yoga and meditation businesses to start with. You can also try registering with larger health organisations, magazines, newspapers, and overseas websites. Be creative, don’t be shy, and persist, persist, persist.

Are you a freelance health writer? Do you have any other tips to help writers get started?

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About Michelle Guillemard

Michelle has been blogging about health writing since 2013. She also teaches health writing courses and runs workshops on effective healthcare communication. Outside of Health Writer Hub, Michelle serves as President of the Australasian Medical Writers Association and works as a freelance health writer. Michelle is passionate about creating better health outcomes and changing lives through high-quality health writing.

I also got asked about whether product reviews are good topics for emerging health writers to discuss. I think that’s a great topic for a future post! However, here’s what I said: Hi Kathy. Product reviews would engage a different type of audience than perhaps a straight-out health topic article or health advice. They can be good for SEO if you review a popular product that a lot of people are searching for. However, in terms of getting a response – it’s all about how you get your content out there, really. To get as many eyeballs on it as possible, people need to be exposed to it in a variety of ways – that’s why I post my blogs on Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ – as well as the blog itself.

I shared this post in the “Natural Health” Linkedin Group and received this comment from a reader: “The more information, the better. I have done writing about the Whole Body Vibration, and how it helps with Chronic conditions, Injuries, weight Loss, Circulation etc…” It’s a great point – health writers need to be as well-read as possible in order to provide the most appealing, competitive services.